2023 Rogue Invitational CrossFit Event 6 “Max Deadlift” Results — Chandler Smith Puts on a Clinic

Whether you’re at the Invitational or the Games, Saturday night promises to be an event to remember. At the 2023 Rogue Invitational, Event Six, or “Max Deadlift,” was set to be an epic battle. With Dani Speegle and Laura Horvath fresh off a head-to-head race in “Event Five”The Duel III,” the stage was set for epicness. By the time the lights went down in Dell Diamond Stadium, Alex Gazan and Chandler Smith hefted the mightiest loads of the night.

Gazan went toe-to-toe with Dani Speegle, duking it out for the event win and the honor of lifting max weight on the center platform. Gazan’s form never faltered, and she took command of the even convincingly, even as Speegle continued to impress. Gazan wound up with a 425-pound PR and the event win.

On the men’s side, Chandler Smith lifted five pounds more than he needed to secure the win, pulling 605 for the event victory over Pat Vellner and asking for 610 on the bar for the entertainment value. He pulled both successfully to lock out, looking for all the world like powerlifting was his day job.

[Stay Tuned: 2023 Rogue Invitational CrossFit Live Results and Leaderboard]

2023 Rogue Invitational CrossFit Event Six Results — “Max Deadlift”

• Establish One-Rep-Max Deadlift

Below are the full results:

Men’s Division

1. Chandler Smith — 610 pounds
2. Tudor Magda — 595 pounds
3. Pat Vellner — 595 pounds
4. Jayson Hopper — 575 pounds
5. Jay Crouch — 575 pounds
6. Travis Mayer — 575 pounds
7. Roman Khrennikov — 565 pounds
8. Garrett Clark — 565 pounds
9. Jeffrey Adler — 545 pounds
10. Jelle Hoste — 545 pounds
11. Dallin Pepper — 545 pounds
12. Bayley Martin — 545 pounds
13. Ricky Garard — 535 pounds
14. Lazar Đukić — 535 pounds
15. Noah Ohlsen — 525 pounds
16. Brent Fikowski — 515 pounds
17. Will Moorad — 515 pounds
18. Björgvin Karl Gudmundsson — 495 pound
19. Victor Hoffer — — (no lift)
20. Jonne Koski — WD

Women’s Division

1. Alex Gazan — 425 pounds
2. Dani Speegle — 420 pounds
3. Laura Horvath — 415 pounds
4. Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr — 400 pounds
5. Kyra Milligan — 395 pounds
6. Manon Angonese — 380 pounds
7. Christine Kolenbrander — 380 pounds
8. Lauren Fisher — 380 pounds
9. Gabriela Migała — 375 pounds
10. Paige Semenza — 375 pounds
11. Emma Lawson — 365 pounds
12. Karin Freyova — 365 pounds
13. Paige Powers — 355 pounds
14. Shelby Neal — 355 pounds
15. Arielle Loewen — 345 pounds
16. Danielle Brandon — 335 pounds
17. Emma Cary — 335 pounds
18. Emily Rolfe — 315 pounds
19. Elena Carratala Sanahuja — 315 pounds
20. Bethany Flores — — (no lift)

2023 Rogue Invitational CrossFit Event Six — “Max Deadlift” Recap

Even on the CrossFit side, the Rogue Invitational is known for facilitating intense feats of strength. On Saturday night, the best CrossFitters in the world didn’t disappoint. Here’s how it all went down.

Women’s Division Recap

The women’s weights started at 305 pounds, with four athletes lifting at once. Bethany Flores bowed to the crowd instead of taking an attempt because of her still-healing back injury and was met with warm applause at her decline. She was the only woman not to move on to the next weight, which was 315 pounds.

The athletes continued to take on the weights with relative ease, and each one successfully moved on to the next weight of 325 pounds.

Emily Rolfe and Elena Carratala Sanahuja both had their event come to an end, failing to register a lift at 325. They were the only women to bow out in this round.

With 335 pounds on the bar, every athlete lifted successfully, all moving on to 345 pounds.

At 345, athletes continued to be methodical and precise, powerfully lifting the weight being asked of them. Only Danielle Brandon and Emma Cary were unsuccessful in their attempts.

As the sun continued setting on Dell Diamond Stadium, with the bar set at 355 pounds, Arielle Loewen was the only athlete to drop.

In the battle to lift 365 pounds, Shelby Neal and Paige Powers had to come on down from the event. Emma Lawson nearly missed her lift, but held on long enough to get a down signal from the judge.

With 375 pounds on the platform, Karin Freyova and Emma Lawson couldn’t get the bar where they wanted it to be.

Volunteers loaded 380 pounds on the bar next, with no more 10-pound jumps for the women this evening. Paige Semenza bowed out for a 10th place finish in the event rather than attempting the load. Gabriela Migala attempted the load, but couldn’t get the weight past her knees.

Continuing with the five-pound increments, 385 pounds was loaded onto the bar. Christine Kolenbrander and Manon Angonese both failed to get the bar past their knees. Lauren Fisher also bowed out at this weight.

With only five athletes remaining on the field, the competition moved to the single, center platform. Kyra Milligan was the first athlete to confront 390 pounds on the bar, and she lifted it with enough ease to crack a big smile on a successful lift. Dani Speegle was next, and she hefted the bar strongwoman style, with high fives and laughter on her way back to wait with the other women. Alex Gazan moved 390 pounds like she was warming up with it, and Laura Horvath moved with steady precision to complete her own lift. Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr closed out the round with a successful lift and a focused wave to the crowd.

With 395 on the bar, Milligan succeeded yet again, as did Speegle and Gazan. Horvath and Toomey-Orr also hefted the bar successfully.

Finally, 400 pounds was loaded up. Milligan brought the bar so close to rising above her knees, but couldn’t quite complete the pull. Speegle’s lift at 400 pounds looked even smoother than some of her previous lifts, and Gazan continued to look like she was relaxing with light weights. Horvath successfully cleared 400, offered Toomey-Orr a fist bump as she stepped up to the platform for her own turn. Toomey, beltless (as she had been throughout the event), pulled 400 with seeming ease.

And then there were four plates. At 405 pounds, Speegle and Gazan made short work of the bar. Horvath made a slow, steady, stable lift, locking out with pristine technique. Toomey-Orr didn’t break the ground, bowing out instead, smiling and waving to the crowd and fist bumping her competitors.

It became a battle of Speegle, Gazan, and Horvath. Speegle hefted 410 pounds strongman style, while Gazan approached like a powerlifter. Both made the weight look a lot lighter than it was. Horvath kept the bar going up slowly and steadily, cracking a smile when she realized she would lock the lift successfully.

[Read More: Age Group and Adaptive Divisions Will No Longer Compete at the CrossFit Games]

At 415 pounds, Speegle hitched the bar to exactly where she needed it to be yet again. Gazan also offered a smile to the crowd as she locked out her lift. Horvath switched to her leather belt for more support and grinded through a laser-focused, textbook lift, once again smiling on completion.

While Gazan and Speegle chatted amiably during weight changes, Horvath stood slightly off to the side, focused, massaging her thighs, and occasionally offering the ghost of a smile to her fellow athletes. At 420 pounds, Speegle smiled at the bar before wrapping her belt, hitching the bar slowly up her thighs to a successful lock. Gazan took an almighty breath to fuel her brace and she lifted it like she could do this all night. Horvath asked for support from the crowd as she approached the bar, and she smiled and waved as it failed to get past her knees.

[Read More: Alex Gazan and Will Moorad Prep For the 2023 Rogue Invitational With the Buttery Bros]

It was down to Gazan and Speegle, still laughing together on the turf in the middle of the field. With 425 pounds on the bar, Speegle tossed her chalk aside as she approached the bar, failing to lock out the lift. Speegle pumped her arms to get the crowd behind Gazan, who successfully pulled 425 with a smile on her face.

Men’s Division Recap

On the men’s side of the evening, the lifting started at 455 pounds. Victor Hoffer declined to lift, making him the first man to stop progressing through this event.

This division saw 20-pound jumps in weight, so the next weight to lift was 475 pounds. The weight didn’t give any of the athletes a problem, so the event proceeded without a hitch to 495. That weight, in turn, didn’t present any issues.

So 515 was loaded onto the bar, and Björgvin Karl Gudmundsson was the only man to fail there. The weight jumps shrank to 10 pounds, so the next weight was 525 pounds.

With 525 on the bar, Will Moorad bowed out, and Brent Fikowski also couldn’t get the bar off the ground.

At 535, the weight presented more of a challenge to many of the men, but only Noah Ohlsen had to bow out.

Athletes then took on 545 pounds, which got the best of Lazar Đukić and Ricky Garard even as Bayley Martin powered through a long, successful grind.

The weight rose to 555, which Dallin Pepper, Jelle Hoste, and Jeff Adler couldn’t fight through. After his heroic fight at 545, Martin left well enough alone at 555, bowing out.

With the field so narrow, athletes’ attempts were confined to just two platforms at 565 pounds. Since all eight men made the lift, the weight increased to 575. At that weight, Garret Clark didn’t make an attempt, waving his thanks to the ground instead. He seemed to gesture to his hands to a volunteer on site, perhaps suggesting an open callous. Roman Khrennikov wasn’t able to hitch the bar up, leaving only six men left on the field of play.

At 585, Jayson Hopper, Travis Mayer, and Jay Crouch all had to bow out, leaving Pat Vellner, Chandler Smith, and Tudor Magda to take on 595.

Transitioning to the center platform, the three men began their showdown at 595 pounds. Magda waved his arms for support from the crowd as he stepped to center stage, the 20-year-old making the lift look relatively simple. Smith hefted the weight like he wished it were actually heavy. Vellner also hit his attempt with seeming ease.

Magda was the first competitor to attempt 605, unable to break it from the ground. Smith went after 605 like a powerlifting pro and locked it out quickly and smoothly. Vellner dropped the bar just above his knees, glancing at his fingers after they betrayed him. Because he failed the lift, Smith won the event.

But the 2022 Rogue Invitational silver medalist wasn’t done.

“Do you want one more?” Smith asked the crowd, even after securing the event win. The crowd roared and Smith asked for 610 on the bar, just for fun. He locked it out with pristine form and pizazz, gesturing to his watch to let everyone know: it was, indeed, Chandler Time.

One More Day

With “Max Deadlift” in the books, the best CrossFitters in the world are aiming to get a solid amount of sleep ahead of the final day of competition tomorrow. If you’re just tuning in to the action, catch up to the game with all of BarBend‘s event recaps for the competition so far. And be sure to check back here tomorrow for all the up-to-date results as the final day goes down.

Featured Image: @rogueinvitational on Instagram